Tallahassee, FL – On Thursday, September 17, FAMU Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally and vigil honoring the life of Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Haitian immigrant in Ohio who took his own life after being forced by ICE to wear an ankle monitor. Nearly 50 students gathered in front of Lee Hall to demand an end to the terror from ICE that Haitian immigrants are facing and to demand that Florida A&M University’s administration revoke the 287(g) agreement that puts students' lives at risk.

This protest comes after the recent attacks on Haitians after the revocation of their Temporary Protected Status on July 2 by the Trump administration, putting the lives of over 350,000 Haitian immigrants in jeopardy. Bel, a neuroscience student at Ohio State, was one of many Haitians fitted with an ankle monitor that tracked his every move and created the perception that he was a criminal. It also stopped him from being able to participate in his daily activities that brought him joy, like soccer and ROTC, because he was not allowed to participate in them while wearing the monitor.

Florida A&M University is the only HBCU in the entire country to have signed a 287(g) agreement. This agreement requires the FAMU Police Department to have a number of officers participate in a task force to perform immigration enforcement or work collaboratively with ICE agents. In response, FAMU SDS launched its inaugural campaign to end the agreement.

Other groups in attendance included the Haitian Cultural Club, FAMU Dream Defenders, Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance, Voices Poetry Group, Tallahassee SDS, and the Tallahassee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Protesters pointed to the connection between 287(g) and the revoking of TPS status for Haitian immigrants. They also expressed concerns regarding immigration enforcement.

Jayla Jones, vice president of FAMU SDS, stated, “It is embarrassing to be an HBCU that was built upon generations of Black struggle and resistance fall into the trap of hunting its own people. Students should not have to worry about being profiled or surveilled, or potentially dying at the hands of ICE. This is where we come to learn, share our cultures, and be Black and proud. We must not be complacent within this system. ICE is not welcome here.”

A common sentiment among students is outrage about the legal ability of ICE to racially profile and discriminate against immigrant communities. The court decision by the Supreme Court, in Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security et al. v. Pedro Vasquez Perdomo, et al., allows ICE to detain people based on perceptions that individuals may be immigrants, such as skin color or language. Black Americans have been repeatedly racially profiled and detained by ICE, and that danger has now intensified as Haitian immigrants face more hatred from the GOP.

Considering ICE's long history of mistakenly identifying U.S. citizens for deportations and detention, uprooting the lives of thousands of people, and leaving devastating impacts on individuals who face these unlawful arrests, many students are fearful of what may happen to them.

SDS member Ora Brodie commented, “This could be you, we’re all Black. When ICE comes on this campus, they’re already racially profiling. They don’t care that we’re Black Americans. They just want to kill us or put us in jail.”

FAMU SDS is fighting to revoke the university’s 287(g) agreement and protect their HBCU from ICE and Trump’s attacks. To join, attend a weekly meeting every Thursday at 6pm on the first floor of the Coleman Library. To keep up with what SDS is doing, visit @famusdsofficial on Instagram.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #TPS #PierreDamasBel #FAMU #287g

Santa Ana, CA – El 12 de septiembre, la Organización de Servicio Comunitario del Condado de Orange (CSO OC) y miembros de la comunidad pusieron una mesa de información frente al conocido restaurante salvadoreño El Salvador Café para distribuir recursos e información cruciales en respuesta al más reciente ataque de Trump que amenaza con poner fin al Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS) para los inmigrantes salvadoreños.

Los miembros de CSO OC entregaron paquetes informativos primero a los trabajadores del restaurante salvadoreño y luego se dirigieron a los negocios vecinos de propietarios mexicanos y centroamericanos. Conversaron con trabajadores y miembros de la comunidad sobre el último ataque de Trump contra la comunidad inmigrante salvadoreña y sus políticas anteriores, como un paquete de gastos de $170 mil millones para la aplicación de leyes migratorias, la suspensión y revocación de visas para personas de 75 países, entre otras medidas.

CSO OC organizó este evento informativo como respuesta a la semana de acción de la red Legalización Para Todos (L4A) para detener la agenda de Trump, y en solidaridad con la marcha de la coalición Dallas Against Trump durante la Convención Republicana de Mitad de Mandato (RNC). El periodo del 9 al 13 de septiembre estuvo marcado por ataques como la fecha de vencimiento del TPS para salvadoreños el 9 de septiembre, la promesa de Trump de revocar 200,000 visas y la celebración de la RNC de mitad de mandato los días 9 y 10 de septiembre.

El día en que se suponía que vencería el TPS salvadoreño, ICE envió un anuncio declarando que una decisión sobre el estatus del TPS para los salvadoreños se tomará en el momento apropiado. Aunque técnicamente el TPS no expiró, esta situación deja en el limbo a los 170,000 salvadoreños beneficiarios de dicho programa.

CSO OC continuará realizando sus caminatas por los barrios, en los que distribuye información y recursos importantes sobre ICE y los ataques de Trump contra los inmigrantes.

Si te interesa participar en una acción o reunión de CSO OC, puedes contactarlos en orangecountycso@gmail.com o en Instagram en CSO.OC.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #ImmigrantRights #TPS #ElSalvador #CSOOC

Austin, TX – Around 200 people protested outside the Texas Capitol on Monday evening, September 21, to demand justice for a Venezuelan man, Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, who was shot by ICE and left in critical condition in Austin on Sunday.

After several rounds of energetic chants from the crowd, Selena Jurado of La Frontera Unida gave a speech. Jurado explained that within hours of the shooting, ICE took Garcés Pérez into custody, stating, “They denied his lawyer access. They denied his wife access to her husband. This is modern-day terrorism.”

Jurado continued, “La Frontera Unida raises these three demands. Primero, Wilber must be released from ICE custody immediately. Segundo, the ICE agent who shot him must be arrested and prosecuted. Tercero, there must be a real independent investigation. La Frontera Unida is not interested in another federal cover-up!”

Jesse Valdelamar, the emcee of the rally, said, “We will never support ‘reforming’ ICE into a more humane version of itself. As long as there exists a permanent body of second-class citizens, there will always be immigration enforcement, and there will always be la migra. This is why La Frontera Unida supports legalization for all as the real solution to the immigration question!”

Cynthia Treviño, another member of La Frontera Unida, spoke on the coming expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadorians. She said, “The expiration of TPS for Salvadoreños is setting the stage for hundreds of thousands of our raza to suffer the same fate as Wilber. As a Chicana, I understand this history intimately. My ancestors didn't cross the border, the border crossed us. The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo promised my people property rights, language rights, cultural rights. What we got instead was centuries of violence and displacement.”

Treviño continued, “Terrorism is what awaits those who do not stand up and fight back. Today's immigrants, whether from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, or Venezuela, face the same terror. And just like my ancestors, they are fighting back.”

Sofie Gomez of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) urged, “When people migrate here, they are uprooting their whole lives out of desperation, but they live here in the states as second-class citizens, continuing to be exploited as cheap labor. This is the U.S. capitalist machine’s playbook. That’s why we need a new system, socialism, where we can actually address immigration rather than exploit those who immigrate here. Legalization for all is the way forward!”

#AustinTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #ICE #OppressedNationalities #TPS #Venezuela #Shooting #WilberRafaelGarcesPerez #Feature

“The successive attacks on Salvadorans and Haitians under TPS shows a systematic targeting of legal immigrants by nationality one by one,” said PDXCD member Cami Saunders.

Members of PDXCD held signs that read “ICE out” and “Defend TPS,” in addition to chanting “TPS! Lo merecen” and “Salvadorans are welcome here.” Despite a single hostile reaction, they were met with overwhelming honks and shouts of support. Curious pedestrians walked by and were educated on what TPS was.

“We have to stand up against these cruel terminations by the Trump administration.

Salvadorans are welcome here in Portland and everywhere!” stated a PDXCD member.

#PortlandOR #OR #ImmigrantRights #TPS #ElSalvador #PDXCD #Legalization4All

Tampa, FL – On September 13, about eight activists with Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee held a sign-waving and tabling event outside a local Salvadoran restaurant in response to Trump’s threats to not renew Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadorans. It came in response to the call from Legalization for All, a network of grassroots groups across the country organized for immigrants’ rights.

The event included a barrio walk in response to ICE presence a few days ago in the neighborhood around Fletcher and Nebraska Avenues. The patrons at Nuestra Tienda, where the lunch rush was underway, were appreciative of Tampa IRC tabling outside, informing them of their rights, and keeping them updated on TPS’s status.

Also appreciative were the community members in the nearby neighborhood near where ICE was spotted, as folks enthusiastically took the know your rights material to defend themselves from ICE attacks, both for themselves and to distribute to their neighbors.

Attacks on and revocation of TPS is not new for the Trump administration. Since returning to power, Trump has revoked TPS for 13 countries, affecting over a million people in the U.S, including for Venezuela, Syria and Haiti.

TPS for Salvadorans remains in effect, as the deadline came and went without the Department of Homeland Security taking any action one way or the other. TPS for Salvadorans was the first TPS designation in 1990, coming after years of grassroots organizing after a civil war in El Salvador. It was renewed in 2001 after two devastating earthquakes made it impossible for people to return there.

The event reached dozens of people, some spoke about local police forces helping in immigration enforcement through the 287(g) agreement, which deputizes local police forces to act as immigration police, and which both Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department and Tampa Police Department have signed on to.

This event comes on the heels of a rally Tampa IRC held in response to the revocation of TPS for Haitians on July 27. Tampa is home to about 14,000 Haitians, and Tampa IRC will continue to educate the community of their rights in light of Trump’s threats to local immigrant communities through barrio walks and tabling.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #TPS #ElSalvador #Haiti #OppressedNationalities

Santa Ana, CA – On September 12, Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) and community members tabled in front of the well-known Salvadoran restaurant, El Salvador Café, to hand out crucial resources and information in response to Trump’s latest attack threatening to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadoran immigrants.

CSO OC members handed out packets first to the Salvadoran restaurant workers and then branched out to the neighboring Mexican and Central American shops. Members spoke with workers and community members about Trump’s latest attack on the Salvadoran immigrant community and his previous policies, such as a $170 billion immigration enforcement spending package, suspensions and revocations of visas for individuals from 75 countries, and more.

CSO OC mobilized this tabling action as a response to the Legalization 4 All Network’s (L4A) week of action to Stop Trump’s Agenda and in solidarity with the Dallas Against Trump Coalition’s March on the Republican Midterm Convention (RNC). September 9-13 posed attacks such as Salvadoran TPS being set to expire on September 9, Trump’s vow to revoke 200,000 visas, and the Midterm RNC on September 9 and 10.

On the day Salvadoran TPS was set to expire, ICE sent out an announcement stating that a decision on the status of TPS for Salvadorans will be made at an appropriate time. Although TPS did not technically expire, this leaves the 170,000 Salvadoran TPS recipients in limbo.

CSO OC will continue to do their Barrio Walks in which they hand out important information and resources regarding ICE and Trump’s attacks on immigrants.

If you are interested in joining a CSO OC action or meeting, you can contact them at orangecountycso@gmail.com or on Instagram at CSO.OC.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #Salvadorans #TPS #CSO #CSOOC #L4A

Los Angeles, CA – At a busy corner in the Chicano neighborhood of Boyle Heights, dozens of activists and supporters rallied for Salvadoran Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This comes as part of a call to action, made by Legalization for All network, a national network of more than 25 grassroots organizations.

On 4th Street and Soto Street today, the scorching sun did little to dissuade the group of participants. Holding a Salvadoran flag, posters that demanded, “ICE out now!” and “Defend TPS,” the crowd chanted, “¡TPS! ¡Se lo merecen!” Which translates to “TPS, they deserve it!”

Beña Martinez, a member of Veterans for Peace and Centro CSO, stated, “Were here to defend TPS for El Salvadorans, and tomorrow it might be for another country, There are military recruiters that prey on 17 or 18-year-olds who are still making their way through life, who are trying to survive with their families here, if they are undocumented they will get false promises of citizenship to join an army that will go on to invade another country”

TPS for Salvadorans began in March of 2001, when then-president George W Bush signed it. He did so after two catastrophic earthquakes destroyed El Salvador. Since then, more than 250,000 have lived without fear of deportation, nor the need to reapply for their TPS. The majority of Salvadoran TPS holders live in Los Angeles; the second-highest concentration is in Texas.

The Trump administration contended with another TPS earlier this year, and this one was for Haitians. When it was announced on July 27 that TPS for Haitians was revoked, over 350,000 had their lives ruined.

One young TPS holder, Pierre De Demás from Springfield, Ohio took his own life. This happened on August 31, after he was bullied for wearing an ankle monitor ICE affixed him with after TPS ended. His blood is on the administration’s hands.

Marisol Márquez of the Legalization 4 All Network told the crowd, “We want to push for legalization for all, because the current rulers in power have the power to grant it immediately for all of the undocumented people; they just don't feel like it. This demand would protect the undocumented from being deported and they would be able to work legally and not be under threat and terror from ICE.”

Plans for Centro CSO are to continue informing the community about TPS’ status. While it expired on September 9, no decision from Trump means that it automatically gets extended for an additional six months. However, as was done with Haitian TPS, Trump threatens our people every day.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #TPS #ElSalvador #Legaliation4All

Grand Rapids, MI – On the afternoon of Sunday, August 23, community members gathered in Richmond Park to express solidarity with Haitian immigrants. They condemned the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies, focusing on the recent removal of Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for 350,000 Haitian immigrants.

More than two dozen demonstrators attended the rally called by the Grand Rapids Coalition Against Trump. Protesters joined together in a spirited chorus of chants and drumming. They waved Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) placards reading, “Stop the mass deportation of Haitians.” The rally drew the support of passersby and the interest of neighborhood residents, some who emerged from their homes to listen to speakers,

Former Kent County Commissioner Ivan Diaz highlighted Haiti’s struggle against U.S. intervention, saying, “That revolution, its consequences for the world, and our country’s response to that revolution, have been ongoing for hundreds of years. It has brought us to the moment in history that we are in today, where that U.S. oppression has made it so that the people who are still in Haiti have to struggle each and every day just to get their basic necessities.”

Lukas Forester, with Grand Rapids Opponents of War, said, “Aggression here at home begins with aggression abroad.” Forester detailed the history of worker exploitation, economic sanctions, gunboat diplomacy, and military interventions to which the U.S. government has long subjected the Haitian people.

“These latest measures are simply a continuation of a long, concerted effort to treat Haiti as if it is a playground for Western interests,” said Sam Tunningley of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression.

Tunningley continued, “The move to end TPS is yet another example of the Trump administration and ICE appealing to the basest and most backwards tribalism in U.S. society. They need an enemy, whether it be immigrants, activists or some ‘other’ they can target, anything to distract from their own failures.”

Mario Pierre, founder of Union in Action for Haiti, expressed dismay over the removal of protections. He explained how the threat of deportation impairs people’s ability to work safely and to support themselves, ultimately jeopardizing the wellbeing of the entire country.

Pierre said, “The president says he is going to make the country great again? It is not great again, but the country is poor, not rich.”

Trump and ICE are leveling attack after attack on immigrant rights. This most recent racist campaign, attacking Haitians, is part of the ongoing repression by ICE. Grand Rapids organizers are resolved to resist, chanting, “When immigrants are under attack. What do we do? Stand up and fight back!”

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #ImmigrantRights #Haitians #TPS